The use of large roll-off trash containers in and about building construction sites, commercial establishments and certain industrial locations is well known and such large containers are popularly employed as local points of disposal for all kinds waste and other materials which are intended to be discarded. It is usual to both place and remove such large containers when filled or when empty by employing specially designed hoists. The hoists are cooperatively designed for use with the large trash containers whereby such containers can easily be transported, either when loaded or empty, as necessary to satisfy the local conditions of use.
The large roll-off trash containers are usually constructed of standardized dimensions to provide the desired capacity, which capacity is generally designated in cubic yards. The containers are designed with bottom rails suitable for cooperative rolling engagement on either inside or outside roller systems which are substantially uniformly employed on the hoists of various manufacturers. The roll-off containers are characterized by sturdy, welded steel construction with an open top, a steel floor to which the bottom rails are affixed and enclosing side walls. The rear side wall is usually a door which is pivotally secured to the remainder of the side wall construction in a hinged interconnection to provide a rear, horizontally openable door. One of the most common trash container sizes has a capacity of 30 cubic yards, is 22 feet in length, 8 feet in width and has side walls which are 62 inches high. Typically, the side wall construction comprises 11 gauge plate sides and 11 gauge steel tubes of 3 inch by 5 inch dimensions spaced 24 inches on center. The floor is usually 3/16 inch steel plate with bottom affixed 3 inch channel cross sills and 2 inch by 6 inch rails. The doors are usually fabricated similarly to the side walls.
After the large containers are fabricated at the factory, they are painted and prepared for delivery to the customer. It is now the common practice to utilze a trailer to haul a plurality of completed trash containers to the place of intended use. Keeping in mind the usual interstate trucking regulations, the overall length of a tractor and trailer must be limited, usually to 60 feet overall length with a standard maximum width of 102 inches. Maximum overall height is generally limited to 13 feet, 6 inches.
With the above dimensional limitations in effect, in the past and up until the present invention, it was the common practice to employ a flatbed trailer for transportation of the large roll-off containers. The trailers were constructed of suitable length to support and transport two trash containers in end-to-end juxtaposition. Usually, a trailer 45 feet in length was found to be adequate for this purpose. In order to make the most economic use of the 45 foot trailer, the prior workers in the art usually shipped four trash containers per trailer by nesting two pairs of containers. This was accomplished by turning the trash containers on their sides and by interleaving one pair of trash containers at the front half of the trailer and one pair of trash containers at the rear half of the trailer. By so loading the trailer, the highway regulations regarding overall length, width and heigth of the loaded trailer could be rather easily complied with. It will be appreciated however that upon consideration the total value of the trash containers and further considering the costs in transporting such large and bulky articles over a highway, the delivery costs involved constitute a significant factor in the overall costs of each container. This transportation cost must be calculated and included in the total container cost to be recovered at the time the container was sold. In view of the relatively high cost of delivery when considering the nature and cost of the article itself, the prior workers in this field have been seeking improved methods and apparatus for delivery of the finished trash containers at reduced overall costs.